Cariwest, Riverfest and Animethon: What to do with your weekend in Edmonton

Let’s start with a celebration of the North Saskatchewan River valley. The Epcor Riverfest features events like cycling, hiking and paddling at three park locations and an open house at the Edmonton Riverboat.

High on the riverbank, at the Shaw Conference Centre, the Japanese anime festival Animethon 25 featuring cosplayers, voice actors music, improvisation and gaming.

A sea of tarps and tunes wafts through Gallagher Park at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival until Sunday.

Animethon 25 draws Japanese anime fans to the Shaw Conference Centre. (CBC)

For more than 30 years, Cariwest, Edmonton’s Caribbean Arts Festival, has been a staple on the festival calendar. This year, food vendors, live entertainment and the carnival atmosphere fills Capital Plaza.

Find some dark sky and look up! The Perseids meteor shower peaks Aug. 10 to 13. Attend a Perseids PJ party Friday night at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.

Shockerfest 25 features for the low, low prize of $20, 20 bands playing 12 hours straight starting on 2 p.m. Saturday at the Starlite Room.

The Samson Cree Nation hosts a traditional powwow until Sunday at Bear Park in Maskwacis.

Drumming and dancing take centre stage at the Samson Cree Nation Pow Wow in Maskwacis. (Samson Cree Nation)

For the second year, the Edmonton Arts Council hosts free public art picnics. Spend Sunday afternoon at the Meadows Recreation Centre for free live entertainment, activities and treats.

A free event in Kinsmen Park allows you to travel the country in less than an hour. Five performers and musicians are offering up a family-friendly show complete with aerial stunts, acrobatics and juggling. Truck Stop: The Great Journey by Machine de Cirque is on at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The five talented members of Machine de Cirque bringing their free show to Kinsmen Park this weekend. (Machine de Cirque)

Keep cool this weekend in Rogers Place where you can watch premiere under-18 hockey players from Canada, Russia, Sweden and the United States compete for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Take a horse & wagon mural tour in Stony Plain on Saturday. Rides leave from the Multicultural Heritage Centre at 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Bon Accord Harvest Days hosts a variety of events bookended by a parade in Saturday morning and fireworks in the evening.

The Edmonton Humane Society open house is purrrfect for animal lovers. (Edmonton Humane Society) Tour the Edmonton Humane Society and Animal Care and Control Centre this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be food trucks, activities for animal lovers and animal-themed vendors.

If you’re after the answers to all your kids’ questions about animals, then Animal Mythbusters maybe for you. The event at the Edmonton Valley Zoo features fun facts, a scavenger hunt and game shows on Sunday from noon until 4 p.m.

And if you’re at Capital Plaza for Cariwest and in need of air-conditioned comfort, catch Snapshots of Canada, a traveling exhibit showcasing unforgettable images and text by well-known authors, journalists and historians. Borealis Gallery is at the Legislative Assembly Visitor Centre until Sept. 24.

You can see more fun features and community events this week on Our Edmonton this Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and Monday at 11 a.m. on CBC TV.

Mas bands parade along Jasper Avenue during Cariwest last year. (Zoe Todd/CBC)

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